Economical and efficient burning of wood in the wood-burning stove

!!! ATTENTION !!!
Dealing with wood-burning stove is a very dangerous thing!
Please, be very careful!

TARGET:

- reduce the consumption of forest trees, thereby reducing my negative impact on forests;
- reduce financial expenses;
- to improve the comfort of living (both during the heating and after it).

THE STOVE EFFICIENCY IS EFFECTED BY THE FOLLOWING:

- dryness of wood;

- type and construction of the stove;

- good natural draught;

- firewood burning speed (when the firewood stove is active, the air from the room goes out through the ashpit-firebox-chimney, hot air goes outside, and since the pressure inside the building decreases, cold air is sucked from the street through the door, windows, etc.).

- The material of the stove and chimney (for example, a brick, before giving off heat, first heats up itself). Although it cools longer, however.

MY OBSERVATIONS:

- It seems that it would be better to chop woods in thin firewood pieces. In that size they are burning much faster and no need to wait longer to close a chimney (when all the wood burned out).
From my experience - thick firewood pieces burn very slowly, especially when they are cold from outside in winter, and when they are damp (at least a little).

- After burning out all of wood in stove it can be closed and still the stove and chimney will heat up for a long time from remaining hot coals.

- It seems that the longer the stovepipe damper is opened, the more heat go out outside through pipe, and efficiency decrease.

- To load firebox rarely as possible, at once to fill up full firebox with wood (very dry and not thick wood pieces) up to the ceiling.
In firebox temperature decreases from the moment when the stove door is opened and to the moment when new loaded wood pieces are warmed up - it's quite a long period of time.

- During intensive firewood burning - temperature in firebox is higher and firewood (probably) burns more fully. Smoke from pipe (maybe) should come out lighter. I noticed that when I start a fire in bathhose boiler, from pipe at first go out a dark smoke, and then as the boiler and pipe warms up - smoke became more whiter.

- At the end of firing, just like at the beginning (during the kindling) - to burn thinnest woods. So that all of woods quickly burned out, the stove got hot, and stovepipe damper could be closed. That it was not necessary to wait a long time until burned out all woods (very likely that at this time through pipe go out a lot of heat).

- To take home firewood for next firing, not for current (that they have time to warm up, especially when they are damp).

- To dry firewood, it seems, better for 2-3 years, and not just one season. That is to chop woods for next year (or even for year after next year).

- If in winter do not bring logs inside the house in advance, then they will be very cold (they will warm up in the stove for a long time), and perhaps they will be covered by condensate (humidity of warm air on a cold surface of logs).

- Perhaps, have to constantly maintain high temperature in the stove, so that the fuel burns more fully and effectively (to increase efficiency).

- Cool air (from the floor) enters the firebox through the ash chamber. This certainly reduces the efficiency. Perhaps, it's desirable to try inject hotter air into firebox, so that there was higher temperature. For example, take it over the stove and inject through the pipes into the firebox.

- Have to wait for a long time until remaining firewood burns out in the stove (before closing the chimney damper). Even with thin and very dry firewood have to wait a long time (when logs are very close to each other) - external logs burns out very fast but internal logs (hidden under external) burns much longer. Need to try to leave a small intervals between logs (especially it's important with plank wood), so that all the wood burned more or less evenly.

- The closed chimney damper (may be) also passes a lot of heat into the pipe. Because flap (damper) is usually not very tightly closed and because (it seems that) flap made from material with high thermal conductivity.

- Although the size of the house, the material of the walls (as well as the floor and ceiling) and their thickness are not related to the efficiency of wood-burning stove, but these are very important parameters for heating the house. And (may be) these parameters are more important then efficiency of stove.